Andraitx, Spain 9 1952

Editor: We're looking at "Andraitx, Spain 9" by Robert Frank, a gelatin-silver print from 1952. It's a contact sheet, full of small frames, giving us glimpses of life. The texture of the silver print itself is very tactile. What stands out to you about Frank's process and materials here? Curator: This contact sheet emphasizes the means of production. Frank isn't presenting a single, polished image, but rather exposing the labor behind photography – the selection process, the darkroom work. The gelatin-silver print, a common material, becomes charged by this presentation. He turns the discard into a raw artwork about materiality. Notice the photographer’s edits directly on the print; how the editing marks, likely in grease pencil or marker, show his labor, inviting viewers into the editing process. Editor: So, the value isn't just in the *content* of the photos, but the presentation *as* a contact sheet? Does that change how we see the individual images? Curator: Absolutely. He subverts the traditional art hierarchy. Traditionally, the final, chosen image is "high art," and the contact sheet is a disposable tool, mere craft. Here, Frank elevates that tool, forcing us to consider the act of seeing itself, as filtered through the photographer's choices. How many landscapes shots are included? Note also that he makes a conscious statement about labour and class. He is on site at Andraitx, documenting its visual material conditions – what could he be saying here about labor through these images and materials? Editor: I see the potential to talk about so many photographs about family life here. Also, framing and capturing everyday experiences – that brings a whole different angle on his art, with materials doing all of that work. I never thought of a contact sheet this way before. Curator: Exactly. The act of taking a photo is about its creation *as a piece*, too! I believe this will offer much discussion for the listener and visitor.